SLEGEN Co-Director John B. Harley, M.D., Ph.D., explains that "The ALR has been the essential convener ... making far-seeing investments in research — and the world has been richly rewarded."

What does this mean for the future? According to Dr. Harley "Our next big challenge will be to discover why these genes cause lupus and in this context we will be investigating regional ancestries."

Dr. Harley provides the details: "As 80 percent of the DNA variations between individuals can be attributed to their ancestry we are comparing where lupus patients come from, we hope to pinpoint genes that may add to the risk of developing lupus."

More good news: this fundamental breakthrough has been awarded a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for extended research.

1.5 million

people in the U.S. have Lupus.

100 million

dollars committed to lupus research by the Alliance for Lupus Research.

We're walking across the United States to raise awareness and funds for lupus research.